A Heavy Burden: Thousands of Louisville children have been poisoned by lead paint

Louisville Courier Journal
·3 min read
The Courier Journal's five-part series -- A Heavy Burden -- examines the lingering effects of lead paint on some Louisville neighborhoods and the efforts to finally address the problem.
The Courier Journal's five-part series -- A Heavy Burden -- examines the lingering effects of lead paint on some Louisville neighborhoods and the efforts to finally address the problem.

Thousands of Louisville children are being poisoned by a remnant of a past era — lead paint.

While public outcry over lead paint peaked in the 20th century, the neurotoxin is still affecting the brains of some of the city's youngest residents and endangering their futures.

Through dozens of interviews with pediatricians, parents, researchers and educators, The Courier Journal found childhood lead exposure at the intersection of some of Louisville’s most contemporary challenges: education, crime, housing, health care and food access.

The Courier Journal's investigative project, titled "A Heavy Burden," consists of several stories, including five main parts. Here is a guide to the project:

Louisville stood by as thousands of kids were poisoned by lead paint. Is hope on the horizon?

The exterior of this abandoned house on W. Kentucky Street in Louisville's California neighborhood shows the square, 'alligator skin' pattern distinctive of deteriorating lead paint. Aug. 1, 2023.
The exterior of this abandoned house on W. Kentucky Street in Louisville's California neighborhood shows the square, 'alligator skin' pattern distinctive of deteriorating lead paint. Aug. 1, 2023.

A lack of local and state regulations has left children defenseless to a potent neurotoxin, with untold consequences for their educational attainment and later life outcomes.

Louisville's new lead law is sparking hope, but by the time it's in effect late in 2024, the city will be nearly 20 years behind similar efforts in some other cities.

Read the full story.

Real estate groups pushed to delay, weaken Louisville's new lead paint law

This abandoned house on W. Kentucky Street in Louisville's California neighborhood is covered in peeling paint that tested positive for lead. Aug. 1, 2023.
This abandoned house on W. Kentucky Street in Louisville's California neighborhood is covered in peeling paint that tested positive for lead. Aug. 1, 2023.

Real estate interests worked behind the scenes, both before and after Louisville's new lead law passed unanimously, to change or delay it, The Courier Journal found.

Reporters conducted interviews and combed through hundreds of documents obtained through open records laws to discover the lobbying efforts aimed at Louisville Metro Council members.

Read the full story.

Louisville's lead-poisoned children are neglected as testing plummets by 80%

Rochelle Ransom, a laboratory technologist with Louisville Metro Health Department, tests blood samples for lead. August 17, 2023
Rochelle Ransom, a laboratory technologist with Louisville Metro Health Department, tests blood samples for lead. August 17, 2023

Jefferson County’s testing for lead exposure has nosedived, leaving what could be thousands of childhood lead exposure cases undiscovered.

But even children who are being tested are not always getting the help they need and are continuing to test positive for years at a time, according to a South End pediatrician who regularly finds lead exposure in her young patients.

Read the full story.

'Not a level playing field': Why some Louisville areas are at a higher risk of lead poisoning

Dr. Brian Guinn, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Louisville School of Public Health, points to areas on a map of Jefferson County that show older housing, where lead paint would most likely be found. Children inside the circle face more than nine times the risk of lead exposure compared to children outside the circle, according to Guinn's analysis. Aug. 1, 2023.

While lead exposure cases stretch across all of Jefferson County, children who live in Louisville's northwest corner are over nine times more likely to be lead poisoned than children in other parts of the county.

Louisville lead exposure correlates with redlining, poverty, educational attainment, violence, food deserts and other environmental factors.

Read the full story.

'100% preventable': Louisville has a path to end childhood lead exposure

Celeve Izean is having his home remediated for lead paint hazards under the city's Lead Safe Louisville program, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. November 17, 2023
Celeve Izean is having his home remediated for lead paint hazards under the city's Lead Safe Louisville program, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. November 17, 2023

Lead is not a new problem.

Louisville has methods to end childhood lead poisoning, most notably its new proactive lead law for rental homes, but it will require follow-through, local officials told The Courier Journal.

Read the full story.

How to test for lead paint in your home and what to do if you find it

Kwmisha Adams applies a lead paint testing spray to a support beam in the basement of her residence on Lindell Avenue in Louisville's Shawnee neighborhood. The house was built in the 1920s and had tested positive for lead paint in other rooms. Adams is concerned about exposure to lead affecting her five children. Oct. 10, 2023
Kwmisha Adams applies a lead paint testing spray to a support beam in the basement of her residence on Lindell Avenue in Louisville's Shawnee neighborhood. The house was built in the 1920s and had tested positive for lead paint in other rooms. Adams is concerned about exposure to lead affecting her five children. Oct. 10, 2023

People may be exposed to lead without knowing it, but there are steps residents can take to keep themselves and their families safe.

Learn about what to look for, tips to reduce lead dust, and free, local services.

Read the full story.

How we did it: A look at the Courier Journal investigation into lead paint

Kwmisha Adams stands in the empty basement of her residence on Lindell Avenue in Louisville's Shawnee neighborhood. The house was built in the 1920s and has tested positive for lead paint on the front door frame, kitchen windowsill and other areas in the home. Adams is concerned about how exposure to lead could affect her five children. Oct. 10, 2023

When the U.S. Department of Justice released its critical 2023 report about Louisville police misconduct, it highlighted environmental health factors disproportionately affecting West End communities — including lead.

This detail, drawing connections between childhood lead exposure and Louisville's broader issues with violence and the justice system, sparked a five-month investigation by environmental reporter Connor Giffin and metro government reporter Eleanor McCrary into the city's childhood lead exposure problem.

Learn more about why The Courier Journal chose to investigate lead paint in our community and how their work unfolded.

Read the full story.

Opinion: Lead poisoning recovery should not rely on privilege and luck. Kentucky must protect every child

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp's son Ezra sits on a blanket in the yard. Soil tests revealed high levels of lead in the soil.
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp's son Ezra sits on a blanket in the yard. Soil tests revealed high levels of lead in the soil.

The Courier Journal's opinion editor, Bonnie Jean Feldkamp, is intimately aware that lead poisoning is not a problem of the past.

In her column, Feldkamp details her experience with discovering her son had lead poisoning, how she found the cause and why she believes Kentucky should have mandatory screening requirements.

Read the full story.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Lead paint in Louisville: Thousands of kids put at risk of poisoning